Kate Middleton steps out for a surprise visit to the Natural History Museum - best photos

The Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for a surprise engagement at the Natural History Museum in London on Wednesday morning. Kate, 37, visited the museum's Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity to hear how it is championing and helping to protect UK wildlife.

The Angela Marmont Centre (AMC) is a unique scientific hub located in the Natural History Museum that is dedicated to the study of the UK’s natural world. AMC staff work with colleagues from the museum to carry out a range of scientific research, including analysis of environmental DNA. During her engagement, the Duchess viewed some of the museum's specimens and saw DNA sequencing in action.

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The mother-of-three nailed her autumnal look, opting for forest green Jigsaw culottes and a Warehouse maroon coloured top. Kate wore her trusty Tod's pumps and accessorised with her Chanel handbag.

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The museum visit ties in with Kate's work on childhood development and how nature and the outdoors can have a positive impact on physical and mental well-being. Alongside its national programme of activity, The Natural History Museum aims to inspire its millions of visitors to act for nature.

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The Duchess had her hair styled in her trademark perfect blowdry, which showed off her Asprey Woodland Collection Oak Leaf hoop earrings.

A closer look at Kate's very chic handbag.

The Duchess became patron of the Natural History Museum in 2013, following in the footsteps of Prince William's mother Princess Diana, who held the patronage for four years until 1993.

The Duchess did a bit of newt spotting as she viewed plant and insect specimens inside the museum. 

When Kate unveiled the museum's new blue whale skeleton in 2017, she revealed that her eldest children Prince George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, love visiting as much as she does. During a speech she said: "I remember visiting the Natural History Museum as a child, and being inspired with a love of nature. And now, as a parent myself, I am experiencing the joy all over again with my own children, who adore coming here – and it is not just to see the T-Rex, mind you."

“I remember seeing the butterfly collection with George,” Kate said, recalling a visit with Prince William and their son to the museum’s Sensational Butterflies exhibition in 2014 just before his first birthday.